If you want to start shooting videos or vlog, I guess you already know how expensive cameras can be. But why not start small? In this video, Caleb Pike of DSLR Video Shooter suggests as many as 10 cameras that are great for video, yet they all cost under $300.

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If you want to take professional-looking product shots, you don’t need fancy gear and a studio. As a matter of fact, you can do it for under $30 without leaving your own home. In this video, Jakob Owens of TheBuffNerds will show you how to do it, and you can apply this technique to product photos and product videos.

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We all know how expensive photo gear is. Luckily, if you’re just starting out or you’re a poor photographer, there are plenty of DIY and cheap options you can choose. Food photographer Skyler Burt of We Eat Together suggests a simple lighting setup that will cost you under $30. To show you just how well it works, he compares it to his professional $900 light.

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So, you’ve seen plenty of splendid stop-motion videos, and you’ve finally decided to make your own. Rob Nelson of the Rob & Jonas duo will show you where to start and how to make your very first stop-motion video. You don’t need fancy gear and a lot of money to start. If you have a smartphone, it’s basically free. You need some props, a few hours of your time and the willingness to do it, that’s all.

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I still remember my first impression when I saw the bullet time effect in Matrix. And it’s still awesome to this day. Of course, it’s a Hollywood movie, and not all of us have the budget to create it like they do. A creative Russian director Max Ksjonda created this effect for a music video and posted the BTS video of how he did it. It doesn’t require an array of cameras and a huge budget. All you need is a single camera, a green screen, and some stands and ropes.

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Dreams can be an endless source of inspiration for artists, and photographer Vatsal Kataria turns his dreams into reality in a quite literal way. He recreates the places he visits in his dreams using nothing but a few basic materials. And then, with his camera and some post-processing, he creates a fantasy-like series of photos. Vatsal shares his dreams with the world, and he shared some details about his project with DIYP.

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If you’d like to explore macro photography and you’re not willing to invest thousands of dollars in professional macro lenses, photographer Adam Kappa has quite an affordable solution. He shares the setup he uses for macro photography which all of us can use with minimum investment. It involves a kit lens, a cheap external flash, macro tubes and a DIY diffuser. So, with less than $100 of additional gear and some DIY magic, he achieves really great results. Take a look.

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If you’re looking for a lighting setup to build on a budget, Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter has a useful video for you. In his latest tutorial, he guides you through buying the stuff for the LED light kit for only $150. This doesn’t only include the lights, but also stands, batteries, modifiers, and even accessories. Furthermore, he also guides you through setting up and using the kit for getting the best results. So, if your pocket is not too deep, this can be a great solution for you.

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A frequent and normal question I often get from my first-time direct clients (non-agency) is; “What is your rate?” (I never work on a per hour rate for many reasons) but often the real question should be, “How much will this cost to create this image?”

Surprises are never fun for a client, so education from the get go is key.

So how much does a commercial shoot cost? Well there are many factors to keep in mind, but let’s keep it simple and break the costs into two categories.

Production Costs

Creative Fee + Commercial Licensing Fees

Production costs are easily described as the cost to CREATE the image, where Commercial Licensing Fees are the cost to USE the image.

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Photography is an expensive hobby and an even more expensive profession. As a person who started photography as a young student, out of pure love and passion, I was not really able to afford everything I needed wanted for this hobby. To be honest, ten years later I’m still unable to afford most of the stuff. This held me back in some aspects, I suppose. But when I look back, I realize that it has also helped me in many more ways. Believe it or not, being poor made me who I am as a photographer.